Mitsubishi Express van axed: End of the road for Hyundai Staria-Load, Toyota HiAce rival

In a seeming display of strength for ANCAP and its rating system, the Mitsubishi Express Van is being pulled from the Australian car market just over one year after it recorded a zero-star safety rating.

In March 2021 ANCAP - the Australiasian New Car Assessment Program - gave the Express Van the worst possible score of zero stars, primarily because it has no active safety systems including autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping system. These became mandatory requirements under ANCAP’s most recent changes.

Officially the Express van received 55 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 40 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and just seven per cent for Safety Assist. 

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ANCAP slammed the van, claiming there was a risk of serious injury to the driver’s chest in three of the four crash tests (frontal offset, full-width frontal, and oblique pole) it conducted.

The zero-star rating was not only bad publicity for the Express Van, it was also a major problem for its sales to corporate fleets as many companies require a five-star safety rating for consideration.

Mitsubishi made no mention of the ANCAP score in its official announcement, only stating that it had decided to end production of the local model at the end of May.

The statement read: “After assessing current global business and supply conditions with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, the decision has now been made to cease production of Australian market Mitsubishi Express. May will be the final production month for short wheelbase (SWB) variants.”

According to the latest new car sales data that covers up until the end of March, Mitsubishi sold just 387 examples. That compares to the Toyota HiAce selling 2596 units, the LDV G10 notching 880 sales and the Hyundai Staria-Load finding 688 buyers.

Mitsubsihi introduced the Express Van in the middle of 2020, taking on the Renault Trafic-based model in the hope of boosting its commercial vehicle sales.

Mitsubishi Australia said it has “solid stocks” of the Express Van SWB which should mean it remains available from dealerships until the end of 2022, while the long-wheelbase variant is in shorter supply and is expected to be gone by the middle of the year.